Typographical slug casting machine



Feb. 20, 1951 R. H. TURNER TYPOGRAPHICAL SLUG CASTING MACHINE 7Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 51, 1942 IN VEN TOR Feb. 20, 1951 R. H. TURNER2,542,599

TYPOGRAPHICAL SLUG CASTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 31, 1942 7 Sheets-Sheet 21..I\lmlllilllllllllllllllllllIlIllllllllllllllilimmlllflllllflllllfllliflflllfifilllllllllIN VEN TOR Feb. 20, 1951 R. H. TURNER I 5 5 I TYPOGRAPHICAL SLUG CASTINGMACHINE 4 Filed Oct. 31, 1942 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TOR I BY vi a MATTO EYS 5 4 Feb. 20, 1951 R. H. TURNER TYPOGRAPHICAL swe CASTINGMACHINE Filed Oct. 51, 1942 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOH BY ATTOZNEYf Feb.20, 1951 R. H. TURNER 2,542,599

TYPOGRAPHICAL SLUG CASTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 51, 1942 7 Sheets-Sheet 5ATTXEYS Feb. 20, 1951 R. H. TURNER 2,

TYPOGRAPHICAL SLUG CASTING MACHINE Filed Oct. :51, 1942 7 Sheets-Shet 6vin M l I q BY 414 6 E a: i ATTOBZEY:

Feb. 20, 1951 R. H. TURNER 2,542,599

TYPOGRAPHICAL SLUG CASTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 31, 1942 'T Sheets-Sheet 7Patented Feb. 20, 1951 TYPOGRAPHICAL SLUG CASTING MACHINE Ransom H.Turner, Great Neck, N. Y., assignor to Mergenthaler Linotype Company, acorporation of New York Application October 31, 1942, Serial No. 464,011

.17 Claims. 1

This invention is directed to an improved'complete slug casting machinesimple and compact in design and intended to facilitate the productionof slugs cast from matrix lines composed in a hand stick.

The machine i equipped with a single slotted mold mounted for quickremoval and interchange and carried by a hinged support whichis'operable during a cycle toswing the mold backwardly and forwardlybetween the casting and ejecting stations. The mold of less thanstandard height and the matrices, whose characters range in height from6 pt. to 72 pt., are formed in their casting edges with routing notchesof a depth to compensate for the reduced height of the mold so thatslugs cast therein may be of the required type height. lustrated, thewidth of the mold slot is 12 pt. and the slugs produced therein frommatrix lines of greater point sizes will be of the L-shaped or T-shapedvariety, their overhanging type bearing portions being cast in therouting notches of the matrices. The metal pot employed is stationary,being bolted to upright side member of the machine frame, and when themachine is at rest, the

In the preferred embodiment ilmold occupies a position directly in frontof the mouthpiece of the pot in casting relation there with.

Prior to the inauguration of a machine cycle, the hand stick with itscomposed line of matrices is pushed endwise into a horizontally disposedreceptacle and up against a stop which locates the matrix line properlytherein with reference to-the end walls of the mold slot. The receptacleis slidably mounted in a vertically reciprocable wedge block so that itmay be moved relatively thereto downwardly and upwardly to carry thematrix line to and from the casting position; and a screw and dialcontrolled stop device is employed to arrest the receptacle at differentpredetermined levels to locate the matrix characters of selected fontsin the proper position transversely of the mold slot. When the cycle isinaugurated, the receptacle is lowered and immediately thereafter thewedge block is pulled downwardly by spring tension to force thereceptacle andthe mold rearwardly in effecting the necessary lock-uppreparatory to the descent of the pot plunger. Both the wedge block andmouthpiece of the pot are positively supported during the castingoperation by a fixed U-shaped bracket of ample strength, and as a resultthe casting pressure is increased beyond that which has heretofore beenpermitted in order to improve the quality of the printing faces of theslugs as well as the slug bodies themselves.

The casting mechanism also includes a pressure release valve withcontrol mechanism which may be set in different positions to regulatethe extent of the casting period according to the volume of metaldisplaced by the plunger in casting slugs of different sizes. The valvei mounted in the pump plunger and controlled automatically from the maindrive shaft of the machine. In the normal or raised positionof theplunger, the valve is partially open in order that the level of themolten metal in the pot crucible and throat may be equalized. During thedescent of the plunger, however, the valve is closed and at the end ofthe predetermined casting period it is opened fully to permit theplunger to partake of its full active stroke before being raisedagain toits original position.

After the casting of the slug, the wedgeblock is raised and, in rising,first moves the hand stick receptacle forwardly to forcibly disengagethe matrix line from the face of the slug and then (through certainconnections later to be described), moves the mold in the same directiona slight distance out of contact with the pot mouthpiece. In its fullyraised position, the-receptacle stands out of the path of the mold andis readily accessible for the removal and replacement of the hand stick.As the cycle of operation continues, the mold is swung forwardly anddownwardly to a horizontal position of rest upon a cross member of theU-shaped bracket (above referred to) where the base of the slug istrimmed and the slug is ejected. The operation of the receptacle, thewedge block, and the mold are all effected in the order and mannerstated under the control of a main fore and aft cam shaft arrangeddirectly below the pot.

The slug ejecting mechanism includes as usual a reciprocable ejectorslide and an ejector blade detachably connected thereto for interchangeat will with blades of different widths. In-the present instance,however, the ejector slide operates in a vertical plane and is providedwith a subsidiary hinged section which carries the ejector blade. As theslide descends, the blade is first swung over the mold to its active orslug ejecting position and then thrust down through the mold slot toforce the slug therefrom and cause it to drop into an underlying troughor galley. After the slug isejected, the ejector slide rise and theblade section is moved back to its original position out of the path ofthe mold, which thereupon is swung upwardly and rearwardly to thecasting position in front of the mouthpiece of the metal pot as thecycle of operation is completed.

To insure safety in the operation of the ma- 3 chine, a pump stop andother safety device are included but these, together with the startingand stopping mechanism, will best be understood from the detaileddescription to follow.

In the accompanying drawings, the invention has been shown merely inpreferred form and by way of example and obviously many changes may bemade therein and in its mode of adaptation which will still be comprisedwithin its spirit. It should therefore be understood that the inven-'tion is not limited to any specific form or embodiment except insofar assuch limitations are specified in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improvedmachine, with the metal pot broken away to show the pump plunger;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine;

Fig. 3 i a horizontal section taken on the line Fig. 11s a verticalsection taken on the line i- V of Fig. 1;

characters :0 are punched in the bottoms of the routing notches and havea range in size up to 72 pt. in height. Throughout the several fonts,the characters, irrespective of their point size, are positioned forbase alignment with reference to a common datum line ab (Fig. 18) whenthe matrices are composed in line and Supported by their bottom edges.

In composing lines of the usual 30 em length, a handstick Y is used,which, as shown in Fig. 15,

. isrectangular in form and comprises generally the two upper and lowerparallel side members Y Y ,-and the two end walls Y Y The lower sidemember Y is provided with a scale 11 graduand the mold in its horizontalslug ejecting posi- 7 Fig. 9 is a rear elevation showing the pumpplunger control mechanism with the parts in the position they occupyjust prior to the drop of the pump plunger;

Fig. 10 is an elevation similar to Fig. 9 but showing the position ofthe parts immediately after the drop of the pump plunger;

Fig. 10a is a detail fragmentary view of the pump plunger release valvecontrol device;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail section through the pump plunger and therelease valve;

Fig. 12 is a top plan view of the main cam shaft, with the drivingmechanism shown in horizontal section;

Fig. 13 is a vertical section taken on the line iii-13 of Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is an enlarged detail View, partly in section, taken on the lineM-l4 of Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is a face view of the hand stick with matrices composed therein;

Fig. 16 is a vertical section taken on the line 16-13 of Fig. 15;

Fig. 17 is adetail perspective view of one of the matrices;

Fig. 18 is an elevation of a composed line of matrices of difierent fontsizes showing the characters aligned at their bases;

Fig. 19 is a diagrammatic view to indicate the different levels at whichmatrix lines of selected fonts are supported relatively to the mold; and

Fig. 20 is a vertical section taken on the line 20-26 of Fig. l.

The matrices X employed in the present machine (Fig. i?) are similar tothose used in the machine shown and described in the patents to A. J.Stouges Nos. 1,899,648 and 1,980,110, being generally rectangular inshape and formed with relatively deep routing notches :c which extendcompletely across their casting edges. The matrix ated in ems toindicate the length of the matrix lines during composition, and theupper side member Y is provided with an aligning bar Y which is attachedthereto by screw and slot connections 11 and inclined tongue and grooveconnections g so that by moving the bar endwise in opposite directionsit will be projected downwardly and upwardly into and out of engagementwith the upper edges of the matrices. The handstick Y also includes apair of abutments or banking blocks Y Y arranged respectively adjacentthe end walls Y Y and formed in their lower edges with notches y toreceive a guide rail Y rising from the lower side member Y of the handstick. The abutment Y is appropriately connected to the free end of aclamping screw Y mounted in the end wall Y whereas the abutment Y isattached at its upper end to the aligning bar Y being held in spacedrelation with the end wall Y by an intervening compression spring Y soas to be capable of sufficient lost motion to actuate the bar Y Thematrices X are also formed in their bottom edges with transverse notchesx to receive the guide rail Y and in their upper edges, they are cutaway to fit against the aligning bar Y which serves to sustain them inproper position on the rail Y as they are composed in line against theabutment Y When composition is completed, the matrix line is shifted tothe right (Fig. 15) against the influence of the spring Y by theclamping screw Y and locked thereby in place between the abutments Y andY as the latter banks against the end wall Y the aligning bar Y at thesame time being cammed downwardly into engagement with the upper edgesof the matrices to effect their alignment on the rail W.

The hand stick with its composed line of matrices is now pushed from theright (Fig. 2) into a horizontally disposed channel or receptacle Awhich fits the upper and lower side Walls of the hand stick and which isopen at the rear to expose the casting edges of the matrices and closedat the front to give them direct support during the casting period. Asbest shown in Figs. 2, 6 and 7, the receptacle A is slidably mounted atits opposite ends by tongue and groove connections a in a verticallyreciprocable wedge block or clamping member B and is movable thereindownwardly and upwardly to carry the matrix line to and from the castingposition .in front of a slotted mold C. Operation of the receptacle A iseffected automatically during a machine cycle, by means presently to bedescribed, and to prevent its operation unless the hand stick isproperly positioned therein, said receptacle is locked in its upper ornormal position by a vertically disposed latch pawl D (Figs. 1 and 20)which is pivotally mounted at its upper end on a fixed horizontallydisposed U-shaped bracket E, and engages beneath a lug or tooth aprojecting side members E of the bracket E extend forwardly from a metalpot F in the vicinity .of the mouthpiece F thereof and embrace the potcasing F to which they are fastened andv which in turn is supported uponand rigidly secured to upright side brackets O of the machine frame. Thelatch pawl D is limited in its movements by a stop pin 01 fastened inthe bracket E and arranged in a short closed slot d formed in, the latchpawl. A pull spring d holds the. pawl yieldingly in its active positionbut when the hand stick is pushed into the receptacle its leading endwall Y is adapted to engage a stud at? carried by the pawl and, throughsuch engagement, rock the latter against the influence of the spring 11to its inactive position (Fig. 20) to release the receptacle. As themovement of the pawl is arrested by the stop pin d, further movement ofthe hand stick will also be prevented and it will thus be properlylocated in the receptacle. Of course, when the hand stick is removedfrom the receptacle, the spring 01 will be allowed to restore the pawl Dagain to its locking position beneath the lug a The operating means forthe receptacle (Figs. 1, 4, 5, 6 and '7) include a pair of arms Aextending forwardly from a rock shaft A and connected by vertical linksA with the lower ends of corresponding side members .A which are rigidlyfastened to the receptacle A. For reasons presently to be pointed out,the side members A are formed at their upper ends with hookshapedportions A (Fig. 5) arranged to engage corresponding studs 0 projectingfrom the opposite ends cf the mold C. The rock shaft A is iournaled atits opposite ends in the aforementioned side brackets 0 O of the machineframe and i controlled from a main cam shaft P, being provided with acrank arm A which carries an anti-friction roller a tracking upon a facecam P on the shaft P. A pull spring A", attached to one of the arms Aholds the roller 0. against the cam P and tends to move the receptacledownwardly; whereas the cam, by rotation of the shaft P, is adapted toact in opposition to the spring to move the receptacle positively in theopposite direction and to sustain it in its uppermost or hand stickreceiving position, Figs. 1 and 7.

An angular wiper plate A (Figs; 6 and '7) comprising a horizontalportion A fastened to the top of the receptacle, and a vertical portionA equipped with a suitable double-faced wiper element A is adapted toclean the rear face of the mold as well as the pot mouthpiece F when thereceptacle is moved to and from the casting position, the position ofthe mouthpiece and the mold at the time of the wiper stroke being asshown in Fig. l. The vertical portion A of the wiper plate is spacedrearwardly from the receptacle a distance determined by the depth of themold and is formed with a rectangular opening A which is sufficientlylarge to clear the pot mouthpiece at the time of the lock-up.

To locate the matrix lines composed in the hand stick Y in differentcasting positions transversely of the mold slot and according to thepoint size of the font in use, there is provided (see Figs. 4 and 4a) anadjustable stop device G arranged at the right alongside the bracket Eand adapted to arrest the receptacle in its downward movement atcorrespondinglyxdifferent levels. The stop device G comprises a mitracksupon the cam P crometer' screw G and a nut G which latter is formed witha lateral projection G arranged in a vertical slot c formed in thecontiguous side member of the bracket E. The projection G extendsthrough the slot e and, at its inner extremity, is provided with a shorttrack section 9' disposed in the vertical path of a roller a carried bythe receptacle A. The screw G is rotatably mounted in a fixed bearing eand is equipped with a turning knob or handle G for settingthe tracksection of the nut (1 at different predetermined levels indicated byappropriate markings e arranged adjacent the slot e to be read inconjunction with the upper surface of the projection G Upon theinauguration of 'a machine cycle, the receptacle .A will be lowered bythe pull spring A under control of the cam P untilit is stopped in itsdescent by the banking of 'the roller a upon the short track section 9of the stop device G. After the casting operation and as the cyclecontinuesythe active surface of the cam P (which, due to the arrest ofthe receptacle, was carried away from the roller u again picks it upand, through the connections before described, raises the receptacle toits original or normal position.

The clamping member or wedge block B (Figs. 4, 5 and 7) includes ahorizontal body portion B and .a pair of integral end plates B whichlatter extend somewhat below the body portion B and contain theaforementioned slots a by means of which the receptacle A is mounted andguided in its vertical movements. The end plates B are also formed withtongues b which are disposed in a plane inclined slightly forward fromthe vertical and engage in corresponding grooves 6 formed in the opposedside members E of the fixed U-shaped bracket E. The rear face b of thewedge block fits against the closed vertical front 'wall of thereceptacle A, while the front face 12 of the block is beveled off at thesame angle as that of the tongues b so as to have a sliding fit with acorrespondingly beveled surface 'e formed on the rigid cross member E ofthe bracket E. The parts are so formed and related that during thedownward or active stroke of the wedge block B, the receptacle A (whichat such times occupies its casting position in front of the mold C) willbe forced rearwardly by the block across the short track section of thestop device G to press the matrix line tightly against the mold; and,conversely, during the return stroke of the block B, the receptacle willbe moved forwardly to break contact between the mold and the matrixline, it being understood that such horizontal movements of thereceptacle are permitted as a result of the link connections A betweenthe receptacle and its actuating armsA The operating means for the wedgeblock B (Figs. 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7) are similar to those for operating thereceptacle A and include, generally, a rock shaft .8 controlled by aface cam 1 arrangedalongside the cam P on the main shaft P, a pair ofarms B extending forwardly from the rock shaft, and a corresponding pairof vertical links B connecting the arms with the end plates B of thewedge block. The rock shaft B is provided with a crank arm B and thelatter is equipped with an anti-friction roller b which A pull springB", attached to one of the arms B and anchored to the side frame bracket0 tends to rock the shaft 13 in a clockwise direction (Fig. 6) and holdthe roller b against the cam, so that the active stroke of the wedgeblock will be impositively effected by the spring B while the returnstroke thereof will be positively effected by the cam P brackets Efastened to the side members E of the U-shaped'bracket E, and isprovided with a' crank arm C which is keyed thereto by a. pin and slotconnection c so as to permit the mold to be moved independently of thecrank arm a slight distance into and out of engagement with the potmouthpiece F (see Fig. 1).

Operation of the rock shaft C is effected by a horizontally disposedlever C connected at its free end by a short vertical link C with thecrank arm C and pivoted at its other end in a suitable bearing blocksecured to the upright side bracket 0 The lever C is controlled from themain shaft P by an edge cam P arranged adjacent the cam P (Fig. l) andengaging an anti-friction roller (2 mounted at the lower end of anoffset arm C depending from the lever 0*. A pull spring C attached tothe lever C and anchored to the side bracket 0 hold the roller (2against the cam P and tends constantly to 1 turn the rock shaft C in theappropriate direction to swing the mold C upwardly and rearwardly to thecasting position. When the machine is at rest, the roller 0 is engagedwith the low concentric portion 17 of the cam P and hence the mold ismaintained by the spring C in its vertical position (Fig. 1) directly infront of the mouthpiece F of the metal pot, in slightly spaced relationtherewith. However, during the machine cycle and subsequently to thecasting operation, the high portion 79 of the cam is adapted to engagethe roller 0 to raise the lever C in opposition to th spring C and,through the rock shaft C, swing the mold forwardly and downwardly to thehorizontal ejecting position shown in Fig. 7. After the slug ejectingoperation and when the roller 0 is allowed to ride from the high to thelow portion of the cam P the spring acts to reverse the rotation of therock shaft and so swings th mold back to its original position.

A brief review of the operation of the parts thus far described may behelpful: As the receptacle A with the composed matrix line is lowered tothe casting position in front of the mold C, the wiper element A willclean both the pot mouthpiece and the rear face of the mold, and

at the same time the hook shaped portions A of the rigid side members Aof the receptacle will be brought into engagement with the studs 0 whichproject from the opposite ends of the mold C. The wedge block B is nowlowered in its inclined guideways 6 under the'influence of the pullspring B and acts to force the receptacle as well as the mold rearwardlyin effecting the lock-up of the parts, that is to say, with the moldclamped firmly against the mouthpiece of the pot and the matrix lineclamped firmly against the front face of the mold. After the casting ofthe slug, the wedge block B is moved upwardly against the action of thespring 3", as before described, and in rising pulls the receptacleforwardly so as, first, to disengage the ma trix line from the face ofthe newly cast slug and, then, through the hook-shaped portions A :therock shaft.

forcibly'restore the mold to its former position in spaced relation withthe pot mouthpiece F Subsequently, the receptacle is restored to itsuppermost or normal position and the mold is then swung forwardly anddownwardly to its horizontal position (Fig. '7) where the slug isejected. During the upward movement of the receptacle, the mold and thepot mouthpiece are again subjected to the action of the wiper element AAs well known, in casting slugs from the larger or headletter matrices,say, between the 36 pt. and '72 pt. range, much greater pressure andspeed in the drop of the pump plunger are required than when castingfrom matrices of the lower point sizes, in order to approach the degreeof perfection desired in the quality of the slug printing faces as wellas in the solidity of the slug bodies. Heretofore, springs of a limitedstrength have been depended upon to maintain the necessary lock-up and,as a result, the casting pressure has been limited accordingly. As afeature of the present invention, a positive instead of an impositivelock-up is contemplated, and to this end, the mouthpiece .F of the metalpot (see Fig. 2) is supported independently of the pot by lugs E whichproject inwardly from the side members E of the bracket E to engagebehind corresponding lugs F formed at the opposite sides of the potthroat adajacent the mouthpiece. Consequently, the pressure created bythe casting operation will be absorbed entirely by the bracket E betweenthe lugs E at the ear and the cross member E at the front, and maytherefore be as great as the tensile strength of said bracket willperput.

The mold C is supported at the ejecting station (Figs. 6, 7 and 8) by arigid cross bar E of the bracket E, said bar being disposed below thecross member E thereof and formed with a depression or recess ll whereinthe mold is located in a horizontal position with its rear face flushwith the upper surface of the cross bar E (see Fig. '7). Just prior tothe ejecting operation, the base of a slug cast in the mold is trimmedby a knife H which is secured to a horizontally reciprocable slide H andadapted to bemoved thereby to and fro across the mold.

The knife slide H (Figs. 3-6 and 8) is mounted by tongue and grooveconnections h in the side members E of the bracket E and is operablefrom a rock shaft H through a pair of spacedapart vertical arms Hconnected at their upper ends by intermediate links H with the oppositeends of the slide. The rock shaft is mounted between forward extensionsof the upright frame bracket 0 O and is controlled from a face cam Pwhich is located on the shaft P in front of the mold cam P and engages aroller it carried a crank arm H depending from The cam P imparts theactive or cutting stroke to the knife slide H while a pull spring Hconnected with one of the arms H of the rock shaft and acting inopposition to the cam, imparts the return stroke thereto. although undercontrol of the cam.

After the slug has been trimmed, it is ejected from the mold C by theoperation of an overhead vertically reciprocable ejector slide J which,like the knife slide H is mounted and guided by means of tongue andgroove connections 1' in the opposing side members E of the bracket E.The

slide J is equipped as usual with a detachable ejector blade J but, inthe present instance, the

blade (as shown in Figs. 6 and 8) is attached to a plate J suspendedfrom a hinge pin J mounted on. the slide, so that it may be swungforwardly from its active position (Fig. '7) in line with the slide toits inactive position (Fig. 6) out of the path of the mold. Suchmovement of the ejector blade are effected automatically during thereciprocation of the ejector slide and are controlled by an angular camslot 6 formed in the contiguous side member of the bracket E andarranged to receive a stud 7' projecting laterally from one end of theplate J When the ejector slide J starts its descent, the plate J will becammed rearwardly by the inclined portion of the slot e to locate theblade in a position directly over and in line with a slug cast in themold C; and after the slug is ejected from the mold and the slide nearsthe completion of its return stroke, the plate J will be cammedforwardly to its original position by the same inclined portion of theslot 6 The vertical portion of the slot e acts to maintain and guide theejector blade during the actual slug ejecting operation. Slugs ejectedfrom the mold C pass downwardly through an aperture E formed in thecross bar E below the depression E and dicated in dotted lines (Fig. 7)as they slide down the galley.

The ejector slide J is operated from a rock shaft J (Figs. 6 and 8)arranged alongside the rock shaft H and provided with a pair of arms J Jextending forwardly therefrom and connected by a corresponding pair ofvertical links J with individual bracket plates J secured to theopposite sides of the ejector slide. The rock shaft J (Fig. 1) ismounted at its opposite ends in the for ward extensions O of the uprightframe brackets O and is controlled from the main shaft P by a face cam Parranged in front of the knife operating cam P and engaging ananti-friction roller 7' carried by a crank arm J depending from the rockshaft. and a low portion 10 and immediately following the operation ofthe knife slide H the high portion 11 is adapted to engage the roller 9and turn the rock shaft J in the appropriate direction to impart theactive or downward stroke to the ejector slide through the arms J J 5and the links .1". This operation takes place in opposition to the pullspring H for the knife slide, which spring (as shown in Fig. 1) isconnected to a lug 7' rising from the arm J and serves to reverse therotation of the rock shaft J as the high portion of the cam P passes theroller 7' in order to impart the return stroke to the ejector slide. Assoon as the slide attains its uppermost position with the ejector bladeout of the path of the mold C, the latter is restored to the castingposition in front of the mouthpiece of the metal pot F in the mannerbefore described, and the cycle of operation is completed.

Reference is now directed to Figs. 1, 9, 10 and 11 which illustrate themechanism controlling the operation of the pump plunger during thecasting period. The plunger F (Fig. 1) is mounted as usual toreciprocate in a well F of the pot crucible The cam P presents a highportion 32 F and is operated by an'overhead lever F which is secured toone end of a short fore and aft rock shaft F and connected with theplunger by an intermediate link F The rock shaft F is mounted in anoffset bearing member of the pot casing F and at its rear end it isprovided with a crank arm F connected with one arm of a bellcrank leverF pivoted to the pot supporting bracket 0 The other arm of the lever Fis equipped with an anti-friction roller 1 which tracks upon aspiralshaped edge cam P arranged behind the bracket 0 and keyed to themain shaft P. When the machine is at rest, the roller 1 is engaged withthe highest concentric portion 10 of the cam P and the pump plun er,through the connections just described, will be sustained by the cam inits raised position against the influence of a powerful vertically d spoed pull spring F which is attached at the top to the overhead lever Fand anchored at the bottom to the base portion of the bracket 0 However,at the proper moment during a machine cycle, the roller 1 is adapted toride off the high portion of the cam l? and permit the spring to actuatethe lever F and cause the descent of the pump plunger. Molten metal fromthe pot well will thus be forced upwardly through the mouthpiece of thepot into the mold C and against the composed line matrices in the handstick Y. As the cycle proceeds and the plunger is allowed to completeits descent, the roller 1 will engage the gradual rising low portion pof the cam, so that the plunger will be slowly raised and finallyrestored to its original position of rest. In this connection, it may bestated that, due to the comparatively short space of time required ineffecting the lock-up after the inauguration of the machine cycle,approximately 200 in the rotation of the cam P may be devoted to raisingthe plunger and extending the s ring F consequently, the spring may beof maximum strength wit out overburdening the main driving clutch andthus create a corres ondingly hi h pre sure at the time of ca t ng, itbeing understood that the force under which the metal is pro ected intothe mold is one of the determining factors in the quality of slugprinting faces, particularly when matrices of the larger and bold-erfonts are employed.

The control mechanism for the pump plunger 1*" includes also a so-oalledquick-drop device to further au ment the casting pressure; and, as shownin Figs. 9 and 10, this device comprises merely a depending fingerfastened to the lever F at a point adjacent the roller f and adapted byrotation of the cam? toengage a hardened wear plate 73 carried by thecam and projecting slightly beyond the high portion 71 thereof so as tosustain the lever F momentarily and'independently of the rol er, andthen permit it to drop suddenly to bring about the casting operation.

Another important factor to be cons dered in determining the quality ofthe slug printing faces as well as the solidity of the slug bodies isthe length of time the casting pressure is maintained, it being alsounderstood that, to accomplish the best results, a longer period of timeshould be allowed for the freezing orsolidifica tion of the largerheavier slugs in the mold and routing notches of the matrices than forthose of smaller size. To this end, therefore, the pump plunger F (Figs.1 and 11) is equipped with a pressure release valve K controlled fromthe main shaft P by an actuator K which latter is ad- 1 l justablymounted on the hub portion of the cam P so that it may be set indifferent angular positions to time the operation of the valve accordingto the volume of metal to be displaced by the plunger in casting slugsof a given size. The valve K (Fig. 11) is slidably mounted for verticalmovement in the plunger F and is grooved longitudinally to serve as aby-pass for the molten metal from the pot crucible into the pot wellduring the rise of the plunger to its uppermost position. Operation ofthe valve K (Figs. 9 and 10) is effected from an upright lever K throughthe medium of a rock shaft K and a vertical link K which connects thevalve with an arm K projecting from one end of the shaft over the metalpot F. The rock shaft K (Figs. 2 and 9) is rotatably mounted in a holedrilled longitudinally and concentrically through the shaft F and at itsrear end, it is provided with a depending crank arm K arranged alongsidethe arm F and equipped at its lower extremity with an antifrictionroller is disposed in engaging relation with the upper end of theupright lever K A pull spring K, attached at one end to the crank arm Kand at its opposite end to the arm F holds the former resilientlyagainst a fixed stop pin k with the pressure release valve partiallyopen so as to insure equalization in the level of the metal in the potthroat and crucible through communicating ports F and F formedrespectively in the pump plunger F and the pot well F (Fig. 11).

I The upright lever K is mounted at its lower end on a fixed hinge pin kand provided with an anti-friction roller k disposed in the path of abeveled cam surface 70 formed on an arm K of the actuator K A detent Kcarried by the arm K and engaging a notched sector plate K locks theactuator in its adjusted positions against rotary movement relatively tothe cam shaft P. During rotation of the shaft P in the directionindicated (Fig. 10) and, as the cam surface k engages the roller 70?,the lever K will be swung to the left against the roller 70 of the crankarm K and thus turn the rock shaft K in the appropriate direction toopen the valve K. As the arm K passes the roller W, a pull spring Kattached to the lever K and urging it in the opposite direction, isallowed to restore it to its original position against a fixed stop pinId. The sector plate K (Fig. 10a) is fastened to a collar P keyed to theshaft P, and adjacent the notches therein, it is provided with markingsk which facilitate the adjustments of the actuatorand indicate the pointsize of the matrix font in use. By disengaging the detent from thesector plate, the actuator may be turned and reset in different selectedpositions to vary the distance between the cam surface 70 and the rollerk and thus change the timing in the operation of the upright lever K andthe pressure release valve K.

It will now be seen (Figs. 9, 10 and 11) that, as the finger f of thelever F during a machine cycle, rides off the wear plate p of the cam Pand the plunger F starts its descent, the valve K will be closedimmediately so as to shut 01f communication between the metal in thewell and that in thecrucible and cause the plunger to be arrested in itsdescent at one level or another according to the volume of metal itdisplaces in filling the mold and routing notches of the matrices,reasonable allowance being made for the slight space existing in the potthroat in the vicinity of the mouthpiece F As the cycle proceeds and thelever K is actuated to re-open the valve K in the manner above stated,the

plunger is allowed to continue its descent until the roller f of thelever F engages the cam P During the rise of the plunger, the valve Kwill remain open for the reasons before stated, since the strength ofthe pull spring K will be insufficient to overcome the resistance of themetal above the valve until the plunger attains its uppermost position.The period of time allowed to elapse between the drop of the plunger Fand the reopening of the valve K will of course be determined by theadjusted position of the actuator and will be longer when casting thelarger slugs and shorter when casting the smaller slugs.

The casting mechanism, as in most machines of the class described, isequipped with a so-called pump stop attachment. adapted to prevent thedescent of the pump plunger F and the resultant danger of a metal squirtin the event that the lock-up should not be properly effected. Thisattachment (see Figs. 4 and 5) includes a bifurcated or U-shaped stopslide Q mounted for a limited fore and aft movement in fixed guideways qupon the pot casing and arranged directly below the overhead plungeractuating lever F The side members q g of the slide Q are disposed inengaging relation with the lower edges of corresponding banking plates gq secured respectively to the opposite sides of the lever E and, as theslide is moved to and fro, the stop members will be positionedalternately beneath the banking plates. Operation of the slide Q, in thepresent instance, is controlled from the wedge block B through abellcrank lever Q and an intermediate fore and aft link Q the latterbeing attached at its rear end to a forward extension q of the slide Qand at its front end to one arm of the lever Q A pull spring Q connectedwith the lever Q and anchored to the bracket E, holds the leverresiliently against a stop pin Q6 with the slide Q located in its normalposition (indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 5) and the stop member qthereof positioned directly beneath the banking plate (1 of the plungeractuating lever F The other arm of the bellcrank lever Q is formed withan ofiset portion q disposed in the vertical path of a set screw 21carried by the wedge block B and mounted in a lug b projecting laterallyfrom the contiguous end plate B thereof. As the wedge block approachesthe limit of its downward movement in effecting the lock-up, the setscrew b is adapted to engage the offset portion of the lever Q and shiftthe slide Q to the inactive position shown by the full lines in Fig. 5so as to displace the stop member q from beneath the lever F and thuspermit the drop of the pump plunger to take place in the manner alreadydescribed. However, if the wedge block should happen to be arrested inits descent, the slide Q would remain in its original position and theoperation of the plunger would be prevented by the banking of the plate:1 of the plunger lever upon the stop member q of the slide. Moreover,if the wedge block should be allowed to descend beyond the limit of itsactive stroke (as would be the case if the mold were not in the castingposition at the time or if the receptacle. A for any reason should failto descend after being released by the latch pawl D) the stop slide Qwould then be shifted slightly further forwardly by the lever Q adistance determined by a pin and slot connection (1 and thus positionthe other member (12 of the slide beneath the banking plate q of thelever l5 and so lock the pump plunger against operation.

The driving mechanism and control devices of 13 the improved machinewill now be described, rec erence being made to Figs. 12, 13 and 14. Thecam shaft P is mounted at its opposite ends in stationary bearingbrackets O of the machine frame and receives its motion from a, hollowfore and aft drive shaft L through the medium of a friction clutch M anda train of r ducing gears including, generally, a large gear L mountedto rotate on a fixed stub shaft L and meshing with a driving pinion L asmall gear L also mounted on the stub shaft and preferably formedintegrally with the gear L and a gear L keyed to the cam shaft P andmeshing with the small gear L The clutch M (Fig. 12) comprises twoopposing. members M M the former secured to a motor driven wheel Mmounted to rotate on the drive shaftL, and the latter splined to therear end of said shaft and attached to a push rod M which is mounted inthe drive shaft and movable endwisev therein to carry the member M intoand out of engage- I ment with the member M She engagement of the clutchmembers is effected by a compression spring M seated in the shaft Lbehind a collar m and the disengagement thereof is effected by a lever Lcontrolled from the main shaft P and having its right arm engaged with.the push rod M in front of the collar 1. 2. Thelever L is mounted toturn about a fixed vertical Z and has its left arm equipped with a slidebar L projecting slightlybeyond the end of the arm into the path of afinger L of a cam plate L which is carried by a disc L fastened to theshaft P. The finger L (Fig. 141) is formed with bevel or cam surface Zand, just before the shaftP completes a revolution in the directionindicated (Fig. '13) this cam surface Z is adapted to engage acorresponding cam surface I formed on the slide bar, so as to rock thelever L in the proper direction to disengage the clutch IVE. Overthrowor" the cam shaft at this time is prevented by a lip 2 project-- inglaterally from the finger L above the cam surface Z and adapted to bankupon the projecting portion of the slide bar L as soon as the clutch isdisengaged.

As shown in Fig. 13, the cam plate L is rotatably mounted on the shaft Pand attached to the disc L by means of a screw and slot connection Zwhich permits the cam plate (for reasons about to appear) to be turned alimited distance relatively to the disc against the influence of a lightpull spring Z when the two cam surfaces Z and Z are brought together.slide bar L is operable by a bell crank lever L arranged just above thelever L and connected by a long fore and aft link L with a hand lever Llocated conveniently at the front of the machine. vWhen the hand leveris pulled forwardly (Fig. 12), the bellcrank lever will be rocked in theappropriate direction in opposition to a spring i to withdraw the slidefar enough from its position beneath the lip Z to permit the spring Z tosnap the cam plate down out of the way of the contiguous end of the barbefore the hand lever is released. By the same action, the lever L isreleased and the clutch spring 1 5 allowed to engage the clutch M tostart the operation of the machine. When the machine cycle is nearlycompleted, the cam plate L through its engagement with the slide bar Lwill first be turned upwardly the limited distance permitted by thescrew and slot connection 1 against the feeble resistance of the Weakspring I and then actuate the lever L as above described to disengagethe clutch and stop the operation of the machine.

Provision is also made for stopping the operation of the machine at willat any time dur-- ing cycle, and to this end, the hand lever L (Fig. 12)is operatively connected by a toggle L with a fore and aft slide rod Lmounted in fixed spaced apart bearings 0 o and arranged with its rearend, directly opposed to the front end of the push rod M When the handlever is pushed rearwardly, the toggle will be straightened'out'and bothrods will be forced in the same direction to overcome the pressure ofthe-spring M and disengage the clutch M. Conversely, when the toggle iscollapsed by reversin the operation of the hand lever, the spring M willagain act to re-engage theclutch to complete the machine cycle ofoperation. Sufficient lost motion is allowed at the point of connectionbetween the link L and the hand lever, as shown in Fig. 12, topermit itsoperation at such times without disturbing the bellcrank lever L and theslide bar L 7 From the foregoing description, the construction andoperation of the parts should be clear without further elaboration.However, it may be stated that, in addition to the features hereinbeforedescribed in detail, the machine is simple in design and cheapto'manufacture, with no heavy levers or springs of extraordinarystrength except those for actuating th pump plunger. The load on thedriving mechanism may therefore be reduced to a minimum and the size orthe cams as well as the capacity of the motor employed-may be reducedaccordingly.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is;

1. In a slug casting machine, the combination of a mold, alinereceptacle or holder mounted for movement into and out of contact withthe mold, and a reciprocable wedge block mounted in fixed guideways andconnected with the receptacle for clamping the matrix line against themeld preparatory to the casting operation.

2. A combination according to claim 1, including a stationary metal potto cooperate with the mold and wherein the fixed guideways for the wedgeblock are mounted in an integral bracket member attached tothe metalpot.

3. A combination according to claim 1, including a main drive shaft forthe machine, and wherein the receptacle i movably mounted in the wedgeblock to carry the line into and out of cooperative relation to themold, and including separate and distinct means controlled from the maindrive shaft of the machine for operating the wedge block and thereceptacle, respectively.

4. In a slug casting machine, the combination of a stationary metal.pot, a mold movable bodily into and. outof contact with the mouthpieceof the pot, a line receptacle or holder movable bodily to carry the.line intoand out of contact with the mold, and. a reciprocable wedgeblock mounted to slide in fixed guideways and controlling such movementsof both the mold and the receptacle.

5. A combination according to claim 4, wherein the receptacle isconnected directly with the wedge block and the movements of the moldare efiected through the medium of the receptacle.

6. A combination according to claim 4 wherein the receptacle isconnected directly with the wedge block and including connectionsbetween the receptacle and mold whereby the movements of both areeffected positively by operaation of the wedge block.

7. In a slug casting machine, the combination of a. stationary metalpot, a vertically disposed mold normally arranged in closely spacedcooperative relation to the mouthpiece of the pot and mounted forhorizontal movement into and out of contact with the pot, a linereceptacle or holder normally arranged above the level of the mold andmovable downwardly to position the line in closely spaced cooperativerelation to the mold, said receptacle or holder being mounted forhorizontal movement when occupying its downward position into and out ofcontact with the mold and automatic clamping means operative after suchdownward movement of the line receptacle to press the mold into firmcontact with the pot mouthpiece and the line into into firm contact withthe mold in effecting the proper lock-up of the parts preparatory to thecasting operation.

8. A combination accordin to claim 7, wherein the line receptacle aftercasting is raised back to its original position and wherein the mold ispivotally mounted so as then to be swung facewise downwardly to ahorizontal position for the slug ejecting operation.

9. A combination according to claim 7, wherein the line receptacle aftercasting is raised back to its original position and the mold then swungfacewise downwardly to a horizontal position for the slug ejectingoperation, and including a vertically disposed ejector slide movabledownwardly when the mold reaches its horizontal position to drive theslug from the mold.

10. A combination accordin to claim 7, Wherein the line receptacle aftercasting is raised back to its original position and the mold then wungfacewise downwardly to a horizontal position for the slug ejectingoperation, and includin a horizontally reciprocable knife movable acrossthe rear face of the mold to trim the base of the contained slug whenthe mold reaches its horizontal position.

11. A slug casting machine including, in combination, a stationary metalpot having a horizontally disposed mouthpiece, a mold mounted forhorizontal movement into and out of contact with the mouthpiece of thepot, a matrix line receptacle or holder mounted for vertical movement toand from the casting level as well as for horizontal movement into andout of contact with the mold, and automatic clamping means for efiectinga positive "lock-up between the matrix line, mold and pot mouthpiecepreparatory to the casting operation.

12. A machine according to claim 11 including adjustable means forarresting the matrix line receptacle or holder in its downward movementat the required casting level.

13. A machine according to claim 11, including a stop member disposed inthe downward path of movement of the matrix line receptacle or holderand capable of adjustment to vary the casting level thereof so as tolocate the matrix characters of diiferent font in proper castingposition transversely of the mold cavity.

14. A combination accordin to claim 4, including safety means to preventthe casting operation in the event of interference in the normaloperation of the Wedge block.

15. In a slug casting machine equipped with a stationary metal pothaving a horizontally disposed mouthpiece and with a vertically disposedejector located in spaced relation thereto at the front thereof, thecombination of a mold, a hinged support therefor to sustain the mold ina vertical plane for cooperation with the mouthpiece of the metal potduring casting, and movable to locate the mold in a horizontal plane forcooperation with the slug ejector after casting, and automatic means foroperating the mold support.

16. In a slug casting machine equipped with slug ejectin mechanism, thecombination of a mold, a hinged support therefor adapted to sustain themold in a vertical plane at the casting station, automatic means foroperating the support so as to swin the mold facewise to and from ahorizontal plane at the ejecting station, a fixed recessed bar forlocating and sustaining the mold independently of its support during theslug ejecting operation, and a trough or galley underlying the bar toreceive a slug ejected from the mold.

17. In a slug casting machine equipped with slug ejecting mechanism, thecombination of a mold, a hinged support therefor adapted to sustain themold in a vertical plane at the casting station, and. automatic meansfor operating the support so as to swing the mold facewise to and from ahorizontal plane at the ejecting station, characterized by the fact thatthe slug ejecting mechanism includes a vertically recip-- roca'bleejector slide located over the mold ejecting station, and an ejectorblade connected with the slide and movable relatively thereto into andout of active position during the operation of the slide.

RANSOM H. TURNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,378,045 Low May 17, 19211,414,707 Pottle May 2, 1922 1,910,566 Rogers Ma 23, 1933 1,980,110Stouges Q Nov. 6, 1934 1,983,615 Kingsburg Dec. 11, 1934 2,038,750Morrison Apr. 28, 1936 2,082,531 Albrecht June 1, 1937 2,112,117Petersen Mar. 22, 1938

